Chapter Twenty Nine

“It’s imperative that I speak to her tonight,” Andrei was saying. “If you’ll just give her my card, she’ll understand. I won’t force my way inside, but I am prepared to wait until she consents to see me.”

Bryn was standing behind him, looking like he’d rather be just about anywhere else. This sort of scene was well outside an honorable knight’s comfort zone, but as Andrei’s escort he didn’t get a say in the matter. However, he did notice Mira’s entrance and pulled himself upright.

“Miss Priestly,” he said, sounding very stiff, but also like he was hoping the addition of an audience would make Andrei knock this shit off—and it did, in a way.

Andrei froze and slowly turned on Mira. There was high color in his cheeks and he had about the expression you would expect on someone who just got caught acting like a fool in front of their ex.

Mira didn’t want to deal with this. She was tired. She hurt. Teenagers were the last thing she wanted to have to interact with. Mostly, she was okay with thinking of herself as one of them, but at the moment she felt every second of her many years.

“Your Highness,” she said, trying very hard to sound neutral. “It is very late for visitors. My sister has had a very busy day. Please respect her decision not to entertain at this hour.”

That was, perhaps, the worst thing she could have chosen to say.

Then again, Mira wasn’t sure there was anything that she, personally, could say that wouldn’t antagonize Andrei. He was too in the habit of thinking that Violet was the source of all his woes and, given the narrow-eyed and uncomfortable look Bryn was giving her, she didn’t think he’d ever been challenged about that prejudice.

“Oh, now she’s your sister?” Andrei replied silkily. “What a great talent you have for changing faces. In school, you wouldn’t even give her the time of day. It wasn’t enough for you to drag my good name through the mud. Now you’ve alienated my lover from me? Don’t you know what shame is?”

“No, why don’t you explain the concept to me?” Mira asked sweetly. She kind of hoped that he’d try. She was in an odd temper; every bit as exhausted as she was ready to fight. How dared he invade her home and then act like she was the one who didn’t belong here? “While standing in my foyer after you’ve been repeatedly asked to leave.”

That put Bryn’s hackles up. “Miss Priestly, may I remind you that you are speaking to the fourth prince of Avenon.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Mira told him with a shallow smile. “I wonder what the Crown Princess would think of his behavior? Would she also agree that a prince is free to force his way into a woman’s home?”

Bryn’s mouth shut with a snap. Hah!

Mira caught a glimpse of Cecily’s skirts on the top landing. She must have heard Mira’s voice and came out of hiding, which was admirable but Mira wished she’d go back into her room. If Andrei laid eyes on her then he’d never leave and they might actually have to lay hands on him.

“Do you think I don’t know who you are or what you’re capable of?” Andrei stepped directly into Mira’s space, talking low. “If you must harass someone, keep your focus on me. Don’t make Cecily a pawn in your games. I don’t care what you pay the press to say about me. Keep your hands off her.”

It was a good thing he didn’t care because the Morning Tribune, a publication that was little better than a gossip rag, had done a full front page story about him the day before. The article wasn’t particularly complimentary to Mira. It made her sound like a hysterical moron, but Andrei was explicitly described as having all the moral virtues of a tomcat so she still ended up looking good by comparison. Mira hadn’t interviewed with them so the content was just a salacious spin on the Gazette’s article, but there’s no way Andrei hadn’t read it.

“Before you try to lay the blame on me for your bad reputation,” Mira replied coolly and reminded herself that Colvin was on his way inside. He’d be here any second—not that there was anything to be afraid of. This was a civilized society. The worst Andrei could be right now was obnoxious. “Recall that there is nothing being said in the papers that you didn’t do.”

Later, she would decide that the slap wasn’t actually that hard. Anyone else would have just had their head turned to one side. She didn’t even get a red mark later. She’d been hit plenty of times before and wouldn’t have even counted this blow as a two on a scale of ten. It was just that she’d been focused on Andrei’s face and his dominant hand was on her bad side so she had no warning or opportunity to instinctively brace herself and Violet had weighed practically nothing at the time of her death so the slap lifted Mira off her feet and into an ornamental table with a cut crystal vase of flowers on it.

Several things happened in rapid succession. The vase hit the ground slightly ahead of her and shattered so Mira landed on her hands and knees in the shards. Cecily screamed just as the front door opened and Colvin entered to find Mira on the floor, hair in disarray, as she looked down at the blood welling up between her fingers.

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Mira was a veteran in her own way. She was no stranger to violence and had been forced to become a capable fighter out of necessity, but that didn’t make her immune to shock or surprise attacks. In a way, this was a perfect storm. Her body was in a delicate state. She’d gotten comfortable that the violence in this particular setting was confined to Rousseau House and the upcoming action to later in the school year. She still wasn’t used to having reduced vision and she was at home, where she expected to be safe. So she went into a little bit of shock as she turned her hands over to see large glass shards embedded in her palms.

It didn’t hurt quite yet so she knew that the damage was bad. The maids converged on her. Delia threw her apron down on the wreckage of the vase and used the sturdy cloth to push the whole mass further down the hall and clear the area immediately in front of Mira. Anna caught Mira by the wrists and held her steady.